Buddy is Safe!
Buddy came to a local shelter a little less than a week before we were notified about him. Since he hadn't yet been made available to the public, he wasn't yet available to rescue. Normally shelters hold dogs a week to see if they are claimed and then they are made available for adoption. A few days later the dogs are made available to rescues. We are always optimistic that owners will claim their dogs. Especially when we see dogs like Buddy who was listed as a 1 to 5 year old with no apparent issues. However, that wasn't the case for this sweet gentleman.Late last Friday, we were notified that Buddy hadn't been claimed and he hadn't been adopted when made available to the public. We immediately made tentative plans to go to the shelter and pull him Saturday morning. When Saturday morning arrived, a call was made to the shelter to verify if he was still there. He was, but another rescue had placed a hold on him. We would be unable to get him. Our plans were scrapped. It's not unusual for rescues to put holds on dogs at shelters to buy them a few more days. Unfortunately, it also prevents other rescues from getting the dog. This particular rescue, with whom we have worked with before, reached out to us later in the day wanting to release Buddy to us knowing he would be better off at a purebred GSP rescue than another rescue that didn't know the breed. Being so late in the day, we didn't have time to get Buddy on Saturday, even though calls were made to a few volunteers in the area of the shelter. The shelter was closed on Sunday and Monday so Buddy would need to wait until Tuesday. Knowing we couldn't get him until Tuesday, we notified the shelter that we would be there Tuesday morning to get him.Plans were made for Volunteer Lisa, who frequently helps transport dogs from shelters in that area, to pickup Buddy and meet Volunteer Greg. As planned, Lisa arrived at the shelter shortly after they opened to the public. Once she received the paperwork and Buddy was brought to her, she headed out to give him his freedom walk and, of course, a tree to pee.On the paperwork, Buddy was listed as twelve and upon closer examination, he looked much older than one and even older than five. It always rattles us when we see older dogs go unclaimed at shelters. Who wouldn't look for their dog. Especially an older dog. Especially at a shelter where older dogs are seldom if ever adopted. One would think there was some connection with a dog someone has owned the dog's entire life but in Buddy's case apparently there wasn't. Looking at him, he hadn't had the best care. He was thin. Not unusual for dogs that have been running loose for some time but his nails were long and needed to be clipped. Dogs that walk on pavement or sidewalk, usually have shorter nails. In all likelihood, someone owned Buddy that didn't really care. If Buddy had escaped, his owner probably thought it was a blessing.Now that Buddy is safe, California GSP Rescue we'll see that he gets the care that he needs - thanks in large part to our Rescue Heroes. However, if you would also like to help Buddy, you can by making a small donation to help with food. In a few weeks, once Buddy has some weight on him and has been evaluated, he'll be available for adoption. You can help us find him a home by sharing his post and video.